Shokugeki for Soma
by Slinksy
Summary: The girls of the 92nd generation learned of each other's feelings for Soma. With an unofficial Shokugeki underway, the winner would have the right to Soma all to herself. The theme? Yukihira Soma's favourite food, a broad theme where the dish relies purely on the skill of the chef. Take your pick, place your bets because all is fair in love and food wars.
1. Shokugeki & Meat

**AN** : Initially going to be one chapter but I had a lot of fun writing this. It's my first attempt at a cunning, romcom where it's more than a battle of skill but brains as well.

This fic can take place at anytime during the manga.

* * *

"I don't really get it but if there's a Shokugeki going on, can I join in?"

Clueless to everything that had led up to this event, Yukihira Soma was in the Polar Star dining room, strapped to a chair. Soma didn't have Hayama's incredible sense of smell but from the dining room he could smell something delectable brewing from the Polar Star kitchen. His stomach growled in anticipation.

"NO!"

Though the door was slammed shut he could hear the voices of Erina, Alice, Megumi, Nikumi and Hisako clearly. They were all in the kitchen together, working on their own dish.

"Honestly, Soma's doesn't even understand why we're doing this!" Alice puffed her cheeks and she continued to stir her pot, hoping her dish would reach perfection.

"Heh, I just want Yukihira Soma to learn of the gap between his cooking and mine. Then he'll have no choice but to bow to my every whim." Erina flicked her hair. She was insistent on putting up her ice queen appearance but everyone knew the real reason Erina had entered herself into this competition.

"Right? Lady Erina has no need to meddle with an uncouth man of humble birth. So when she wins this competition, she'll bestow to me the exclusive rights to Soma." Hisako knew that Erina would be too prideful to admit her feelings. Erina was the strongest competitor and biggest obstacle in this competition and thus by stating such a claim, tried to up her odds of winning the grand prize.

"Now, why would she do that? If she gives me the prize, then she'll finally have the chance to re-earn the heart of her beloved cousin after burning the bridge years ago." Alice had used the same manipulative approach as Hisako but this time was pulling on Erina's heartstrings of their separated past.

"Neither of you deserve the prize. I'd rather not punish either of you. Instead, I think I'll use this chance to train my new pet and get him used to my scent." Erina was already aware of her feelings! She only acted distance to gauge the confidence of her competition. And to her, Hisako and Alice had ousted themselves as weak willed opponents.

"Pet? Scent? I think you've been reading way too much of that shoujo manga, Erina." Megumi was completely focused on her dish. She had gone with a soup dish, the broth bubbled ferociously and Megumi had to clean the scum that rose to the top to ensure the taste would be light and clean. "But it doesn't matter what advice you've received from that manga. You haven't read the ending. And in the ending, what matters most…is the characteristics of a housewife."

"H-housewife?" Erina had no idea how to be a housewife. She grew up without a mother or any sort of mother figure. Any resemblance of one would have been Hisako.

Other than that, the concept was foreign to her. If only she had finish the shoujo manga, but maybe, just maybe, Megumi was holding out on the final volume for this very moment. Maybe…Megumi anticipated that this very Shokugeki would take place. Megumi let out an uncharacteristic smirk like all was going according to plan and every other girl in this kitchen was just a pawn. While everyone was playing checkers, here she was playing chess. She was on a whole other dimension from them!

"That's right. The hospitality of a housewife, my very own specialty brand of cooking. If you thought this battle was merely one of skill, you couldn't be more wrong. It's a battle for Soma's heart! You see, Soma didn't have a mother growing up. When he tastes my cooking, I'll make sure he can envision me as someone that can be a mother to his children."

"CH-CHILDREN?!" Erina, Alice and Hisako's face were steaming red.

They knew they loved Soma but the concept of marriage and children had strayed away from their mind. All they were thinking about was being in a relationship, holding hands, first kiss and the like. But here Megumi was, thinking years ahead into the future. She truly was in a whole other dimension!

" _Why are they talking so much? Are they even taking this competition seriously?"_ Nikumi, annoyed with the entire conversation, tapped her finger on the counter top rapidly.

Nikumi knew that out of everyone here, she was the weakest chef here. Her only bright spot being that Soma was a lover of meat, her cooking specialty. But she had to turn the competition around in her favor. This was an unofficial Shokugeki, that took place in the Polar Star dorms. That meant there would be a significantly lower set of eyes able to capture any suspicious action that would normally be easy to spot from the stands during a real Shokugeki.

"Erina, you think you have an advantage because you held the seat of the Elite Ten? But do you really think Soma would appreciate a dish such as yours?"

Megumi pointed to Erina's dish. It was lamprey a la bordelaise, a dish that featured a lamprey eel and used its' own blood along with some red wine as the sauce, it is a well known dish in French cuisine.

"Do you really think Soma would appreciate such a high class dish?" Megumi stared right into Erina's eyes.

"She's right. We are talking about the same Soma who would use grade B, supermarket eggs after all." Alice spoke in a tone where it sounded obvious that Soma wouldn't appreciate such a dish. But then proceeded with her fancy scientific cooking, pulling out a blowtorch.

Erina's will began to weaken. Her resolved wavered. She clenched her fist which were shaking with anger. "Well I have my own reasons for cooking this dish. If you're so confident, then you won't mind if I see what you're making, Tadokoro Megumi!"

"Sure, go ahead." Megumi welcomed her opponent with open arms.

" _Now's my chance!"_ Nikumi was moving in a shifty manner, making her way to Erina's dish while her back was turned. She hesitated for a moment, feeling guilty for even contemplating sabotaging Erina's dish, especially after Megumi had proven the flaw in that dish. But she couldn't take any chances. Regardless of Soma's preference, this was a dish cooked by an Elite Ten member after all. She tossed a little bit of table salt, to distinctively change the flavor of the dish. But not to the point of unbearably salty. Erina made her way back to her dish, after watching Megumi cook, she had some changes to make. By that point, Nikumi was already back at her station.

"It's salty! I don't remember it being so salty. How could this be? I could have sworn it had a bolder tangy flavor." Erina winced as she tasted her dish by dipping her finger in and then licking the sauce off.

"Oh? Maybe the surrounding dishes managed to change the flavor as you were away." Nikumi had spoken out loud for the very first time in this competition.

"Ikumi, this was you!" Erina's voice was filled with distain. She swung her arms down to her sides, ready to charge at her saboteur. She reached for the pack of table salt.

"Heheh, sorry."

By time Erina had grabbed the table salt, Nikumi was already passing Erina, her dish was ready to be served and heading for the door.

"But you're too late! I'll be going first!" Nikumi formed a mischievous, Soma-ish grin.

"Wait!" Alice tried to stop her but no way Nikumi would give Erina a chance to catch up with table salt in hand and pay back the favor.

"That portion size…" Megumi stared at the plate. It was a braised beef brisket, enough to feed a family of four.

"Soma's stomach will bloat and he won't even have an appetite by the time he's done with that!" Hisako called to her opponent.

"Oh. Did you assume Erina was the only victim? I may be the weakest chef here, but my plan has no flaws! He won't even get the chance to lick your dishes. You girls have one thing wrong, you failed to understand that this ain't no normal Shokugeki. So all is fair in love and war and I just took advantage of that fact. Pack it up, buy yourselves a tub of ice cream and reminisce on what could have been. This match is over."

Nikumi walked out the door looking completely confident in her dish and her genius.

"Woooow, that smells good Nikumi!" Soma commented on the smell. With a dish such a braised brisket, the sauce was thick and Soma could smell the smoky aroma before it was presented to him.

All the remaining girls in the kitchen chased after Nikumi to see Soma's reaction. Erina had to be forcefully dragged out as she was now finding someone else to sabotage after failing to get revenge on Nikumi. They set their sights on Nikumi who had lowered the plate onto Soma's table.

"That's a lot of meat. I should have expected as much from you, Nikumi." The side of Soma's lips began to salivate.

"If you choose me…there's more meat where that came from." Nikumi's sheepishly looked down at her dish, unable to even glimpse at Soma. She crossed her arms and pushed up her breasts, hoping Soma would get the hint.

"I hope not. There's way too much already!" Soma, oblivious to Nikumi's words pointed at the absurd amount of food Nikumi had cooked. "I can't eat all of this! Especially since there's more food waiting for me."

"Pft." Alice stifled a laugh.

"Not only have you failed to seduce him but the plan you were so confident in has crumbled. Pft!" Hisako joined in with Alice.

"Nikumi, if Soma can't finish, I can pack up the meal and buy _you_ a tub of ice cream if you'd like." Megumi tried to mockingly sympathize with her, which probably made things worse.

"I mean; you were the first contestant to go. In manga, that's never a good sign. It means you're the first to fail, congratulations. .Mi." Erina had regained her composure and looked down on Nikumi like the ice queen she was.

At this point Nikumi couldn't bear to look at anybody and simply just decided to untie Soma.

"T-th-the battle isn't over yet!" Nikumi put up a front, but she knew the skill gap between her and the rest of the competition. Erina's standing and God Tongue spoke for herself, Alice, being a Nakiri had the skill to go along with her creativity with science, especially since Soma loved creativity above all else. Hisako's medical cooking could stimulate Soma's senses. Megumi had the ability to cook like a housewife. All the odds were against her.

"Itadakimasu!" Soma's closed his eyes as he bit down on the bold and smoky briskey before him. He felt every bone in his body being revitalized, which helped as he was only recently tied up to a chair for the past hour. He cut into the brisket and the knife went right through as if he were handling sashimi.

"So, are you going for save some?" Nikumi had a wide smile on her face. After watching Soma gobble up her food, she believed she could win it all.

"Save some? For who?" Soma asked her as he took another bite.

"For Akio and Kimiko…our future children~ That's the intention I made with that dish. A meal fit for a family of four. But well…it looks like you've already eaten my portion."

Nikumi pointed at the brisket she had cooked. Soma looked down to find that he has eaten two portions worth without even realizing.

" _S-she's planned her out their kids?!"_ Erina, Hisako and Alice all had the same shocking thought.

Yes, like Megumi, Nikumi had entered the next dimension. In terms of feelings, she was beyond the level of Megumi. Nikumi had even managed to think of the names of their children and how many kids she wanted to have with Soma.

"Oh man! I almost got engulfed by your dish Nikumi! It was that damn good!" Soma stopped himself before he reached the point of no return, so entranced by the dish he failed to properly hear all of Nikumi's explanation.

Nikumi cupped one fist to her mouth to hide her embarrassment as Soma complimented her. "Th-thank you..." That was all she could utter back after pouring her heart out.

"W-why would you stop him? If you didn't say anything…he might have eaten it all. He would have become bloated and too full to eat anything else." Hisako asked Nikumi who she now feared had a significant advantage.

"I guess…" Nikumi had her two index fingers poking the other, "More important than winning, I just wanted to get my feelings across with this dish. If you think you can top that, then go ahead. Like I said earlier, this battle isn't over!"

This was probably, if not, the best dish Nikumi had ever created. This Shokugeki was for all of Soma's marbles. If she couldn't pull out her best, she had no right to win over Soma. The remaining competitors had fear written all over their face. Ikumi Mito, had truly become a fierce competitor and a clear obstacle to the result of this Shokugeki when it mattered most. The competitors all headed back to the kitchen and worked on their respective dishes because after that display they had learned that the Shokugeki for Soma was far from over.


	2. Deception & Medicine

Silence. The remaining competitors sat at their station standing before their dish and took a moment to think. Nikumi, who was once an afterthought in this competition could have ended the Shokugeki in one fell swoop. She didn't need to stop Soma from eating but she did, she did it to get her feelings across and because of that, she allowed the other competitors a chance to prove themselves to Soma. It may have not been her intention but the other girls felt like Nikumi was taking pity on them.

"That Ikumi…" Hisako spoke first. "She thinks she's so clever. Who does she think she is?"

The Shokugeki for Soma. Was it a battle of the best dishes? A battle of conflicting feelings? Nikumi's philosophy believed it to be both. She pulled out all the stops.

"She even went as far as to sabotage my dish…" Erina held her plate of lamprey eel and tilted it from side to side just to see the sauce dance around the plate. _"It's not as if my feelings in this dish aren't present. But should I start over? This dish…it's ruined. How would Soma get out of this predicament?"_

"I know! She saved all the hassle for me!" Alice had a bright wide smile on.

"What?"

"I mean…" Alice avoided eye contract by staring off into space like an innocent airhead.

"You were planning to mess with my dish too?" Erina asked in a threatening manner, slowly reaching over for the table salt.

"To be fair…I think _everyone_ here had plans with your dish."

" _Alice, WHY?!"_ Megumi and Hisako felt chills as Erina's expression changed.

Erina darted her eyes around the room, rotating between Alice, Hisako and Megumi. Holding the salt like a grenade. Which ever dish she decided to throw it at, that person would have to start over from the beginning, the ultimate sabotage of highly unethical proportions. Alice, Hisako and Megumi all shared a glance and nodded in agreement before they all tackled Erina to the ground.

* * *

Nikumi stood beside Soma who was no longer tied to his chair. Nikumi's face was all red as she slowly tried to inch ever closer to Soma. Their moment together was interrupted by grunts and screams coming from the Polar Star kitchen.

"The hell's that sound?" Soma picked his ear with his pinky as he patiently waited for the next contestant's meal.

"D-dunno." Nikumi shyly answered him. _"But I'm glad that I'm not a part of that."_

Nikumi had opened Pandora's box with no consequences of her own actions. Instead, she had been rewarded with some alone time with the person she loved. She had all the time in the world before the second dish was ready to be served. The time had opened up, Nikumi's plan had reached phase 2.

"So, is there anything that needs improvement in my brisket?" Nikumi shuffled her shoulders as she played with her hands.

"Nope. Not that I can think of. Maaaaaan just thinking about it makes me drool."

"Then, I bet you can't wait to see what everyone else makes. You know, considering they may be better cooks than I am. I would expect their meal to beyond our comprehension. I expect Hisoko's medical cooking to stimulate our senses to its' limits. Or Erina's dishes to be incredibly creative, as a former Elite Ten she had all the opportunity to train with the other Elite Tens like the first seat, Eishi. Or Alice to make a dish so crazy that every bite feels like a scientific experiment."

"You're totally right Nikumi. I would really like it if Alice made something that allowed me to play with my food."

"Haha, right?" _"Got him!"_ "Anything lower than that and I'd be pretty disappointed."

Nikumi knew it'd be difficult to convince Soma of a poorly made dish from her competitors. Nikumi took things to another extreme and decided to hype up her competitors to the best of her ability only to have their dish not follow through with Soma's expectations. Phase 2 was a double-edged sword, if the dish was able to live up to the hype, it'd only double Soma's reception of the dish. Which is why she decided not to mention Megumi, she sure as hell was not going to underestimate someone in the same dimension as her.

"Sniff, sniff."

Soma and Nikumi turned towards the direction of the sniffles. Before them stood Ryoko hugging and patting Yuki's head, however, both of them were in tears.

"W-we…we wanted to be in the Shokugeki too!" The two of them began to bawl like babies

Yuki loosened her grip of Ryoko and then hugged Nikumi's legs. "Who? Nikumi-cchi, tell me…who stole my eggs?! Who stole my chickens?!"

"What? S-someone stole them?" Nikumi stopped resisting Yuki and just accepted that Yuki was determined to hug her legs. _"Was there anyone who was using chicken and eggs?"_

"What about you, Ryoko?" Soma asked her.

"Someone stole all my koji! My natto, my sake, my rice…all…gone." Ryoko took this opportunity to cry and cling onto Soma's back which irritated Nikumi who couldn't help but look on as her feet were bound by Yuki's grip.

" _Did they make this excuse up? No, their tears look genuine…"_ Nikumi couldn't help but feel sorry for them. _"They have feelings for him too. They probably wanted to convey their feelings on the plate as well…"_

With the ingredients of their specialty no longer accessible, Ryoko and Yuki had given up before the battle started. It didn't matter if the prize was exclusive rights to Soma, there was no way they'd win. The competition was too stacked and they were at a huge disadvantage. At all costs, by the end of the competition, they wanted to learn who had sabotage them to the point of no return.

* * *

"Restrain her!" Megumi commanded as Alice and Hisako gripped Erina's wrist tightly. Megumi had managed to get Erina's cousin and personal attendant to turn on her.

"Let me go!" I swear, I'll get you all back!"

"But Erina, we didn't do anything yet." Hisako hugged her best friend in order to calm her down and gain her trust.

"Hisako…" Erina returned the embraced before taking this chance to aggressively push her off. "I won't be falling for that one!"

So much for that.

"Sheesh! This is what happens when a sheltered child learns what a prank is for the first time." Alice had to restrain Erina herself while Hisako recovered. "Hmm?"

Erina, Hisako and Alice all stared as calmly Megumi headed back to her station and began to fix up her soup despite all the chaos going on in the room.

"Megumi, what are you doing? You have to help restrain-"

"There's no need. I don't plan to do anything to anyone. I'll place my trust in Erina and everyone else. Can't you see? If this is what Nikumi wanted, then I'm not falling for it. Yes, causing mischief can occur during an unofficial Shokugeki such as this but can I truly say I deserve Soma if I win with underhanded tactics?"

Megumi's words struck a chord with each and every one of them. Sure, ruining the dishes may have been a plan for Nikumi but that didn't necessarily apply to the other competitors. It was a good thing Megumi strayed them away from the path of darkness before they obtained a tainted victory.

"I-is it possible?"

"Are we seeing…?"

"An angel!?"

The three girls stared on at Megumi and pictured her with wings and a bright light descending upon her.

"H-how can we hope to match up someone like her?"

Their wills crumbled at the mere thought of Megumi's angelic personality and housewife features that were clear as day whenever she cooked. Suddenly the tables had turned, suddenly it wasn't Erina or Nikumi but Megumi who had become the strongest competitor. But how? How could they hope to stand up to this goddess that stood before them? That fact was only reinforced as Megumi gave them all a close-eyed smile.

"Please, you're making me blush~!" Megumi clapped her cheeks which now were flushed red. _"FOOLS! I don't need to sabotage your plates to win. All I need to do is lower the possibility of someone sabotaging my dish and this match will be as good as finished. Because, I still have other tricks up my sleeve! Do you know how long I've been preparing for this Shokugeki? I was the first to learn what a great person Soma is. I could never tell Soma my feelings and as time went by, more and more girls began to learn just who he truly was. And so, I knew this day would come. A day when I'd be forced to let my feelings be known. So…I can't lose here!"_

No matter how dark Megumi's heart was, her words rung true and the other girls accepted what they heard. Things had settled down and everyone was back to cooking. Though they neglected their dish for quite some time, nothing bad occurred, everyone just picked up where they left off. However, Hisoko and Alice couldn't help but smile. A smile that they hid from everyone.

" _Kukuku, I have to thank you Megumi, now I don't have watch my back anymore."_ Alice sighed a breath of relief and then set her dish into the oven and waited for it bake.

" _I hope you've lowered your guard. Because, I'll strike when you least expect it."_ Hisako reached into her pocket and sprinkled what could only be assumed as a secret seasoning into her meal.

" _What a relief. Maybe I'll stand chance since we're fighting fairly now."_ Poor little naïve and innocent Erina. She may have been the best chef here, but on this culinary battlefield she was a mere unsuspecting deer in the headlights.

"You know, Nikumi could sugarcoat it all she wants…but deep down, she's a bitch."

"Haha, that's spot on Hisako! Salting Erina's dish, pitting us against each other. All under the guise of being desperately in love with Soma. Bitch move."

"She thinks she can manipulate us? In my kingdom? After this Shokugeki is said and done I'll have both her and Soma submissive and groveling at my feet. Don't worry, I'll allow everyone to do what they will with the one they call Ikumi Mito."

"Ha…haha…" Megumi awkwardly laughed as she began to feel sorry for throwing Nikumi under the bus. She may have just potentially destroyed any chance for Nikumi to maintain her friendship with the girls.

* * *

Nikumi sneezed. As if she didn't have enough problems herself. Ryoko was clinging onto _her_ man and Yuki prevented her from doing anything about it.

"I-I…I wanted to make something for my beloved Soma too."

Yuki finally let go of Nikumi and crawled over to Soma's legs, and hugged him around the waist. Her face was full of tears, her nose was also oozing out some sort of clear liquid, both of which had dripped down to her lips and then onto the floor.

"I wanted to make something for my beloved Soma that I love so much!"

"Geh!" Soma had no idea how to respond.

"That has got to be one of the ugliest confessions I've ever seen." Nikumi didn't even feel threatened, she only pitied Yuki that that is how Soma had to find out.

Soma was absolutely flustered. He didn't respond to Nikumi's words before but there was no ignoring Yuki's confession.

"I'm sorry? You're slobbering everywhere. I couldn't catch that. Maybe you should go clean yourself up first."

Ryoko nodded her head, agreeing with Soma who she continued to cling onto, "Yeah, clean up Yuki. By that time, Soma will be all mine-"

Hisako walked through the door, plate in hand. Erina, then Megumi, then Alice followed soon after.

"Ah, sorry Ryoko! Hisako's made something for me." Soma smelled the aroma of ginger teriyaki sauce wafting gently through the air.

At first glance, it was completely different from Nikumi's dish. But that was obvious, Nikumi made enough for a family of four. Hisako simply made enough for Soma.

"I have before you, stir-fried noodles. The noodles were substituted and instead I used spaghetti. I cooked it in truffle oil and then doused the entire meal in a ginger teriyaki sauce."

Soma spotted other components in the sauce such as garlic, and greens such as green onions among the dish. It lacked the same overwhelming intensity as Nikumi's dish but that was fine. That was never what Soma expected of Hisako. He took a bite of the plate set before, slowly slurping as the everyone in the room just stopped, stared, and waited for his reaction.

" _This is exactly something I'd expect of you, Hisako. Something clean, pure, radiant and good for my body. Heh, am I describing my dish…or was I just describing you?"_ He imagined Hisako waiting for him under a cover of bed sheets. _"Wait…what?"_

Soma suddenly caught himself thinking perverted thoughts and stopped himself. His breathing grew louder and louder until it sounded like he was panting. It worried everyone in the room with the exception of Hisako.

"This sauce is very…you. But why the spaghetti? Why use an Italian ingredient with this sauce?" And then it hit Soma.

Soma noticed it immediately after looking at Hisako who he found to look incredibly cute as she used her hair to hide the expression in her eyes. The Mitamura Special Napolitan, a dish that is featured in the menu of Western Cuisine Mitamura was a spaghetti dish. During the stagiaire, the two of them were paired up and worked at Western Cuisine Mitamura. It was a far reach to connect the dish with the history the two had, but Soma had caught on.

"It appears you've noticed. It is the very location where my heart began to falter. Where I realized that everything Erina had said about you had been wrong. During our time together, You and I ran that restaurant and I thought that in the future, it wouldn't be so bad if we ran Yukihira…together."

" _Not fair…you can't smile and wink at the same time after saying something like that!"_ Soma's chest tightened and he began blushing, his cheeks were visibly pink. _"Something's wrong here…was Hisako…always this…cute? Now that I had some time to look, everything about her is top-notch too. I don't know why, but I think at this very moment, something like this is acceptable."_

Soma slowly brought his fork up, wrapped full of spaghetti and offered it to Hisako.

"Say, ahh."

"Heh." Hisako grinned at the very opportunity before her. "Ahhh~"

Hisako leaned over towards the fork. Soma was in a daze. He was only focusing on her lips and when she leaned over, a clear view of her cleavage had entered his field of vision and in the state he was in right now, he couldn't just ignore that view. Soma stuck the fork in her mouth and she moaned seductively as she took a bite.

" _God damn. One more time please."_

Hisako closed her eyes and took another bite but the weight of this spaghetti string was a lot heavier than usual. In fact, it felt like Soma was tugging it away from her. But why? She wanted him to personally feed her more. She opened her eyes and found that her and Soma were both slurping on the same piece of spaghetti and as they both slurped, their faces inched closer and closer.

" _Please, just a bit more, Soma."_

" _Our faces are so close. If I continue on…then we're gonna…I can't allow this!"_

The other contestants had just stared on, in both fascination and fear. It was incredible to see intimate romance blossom before them but…it was Soma. They all wished they were Hisako, oh how lucky she was to be that close to kissing Soma. Soma bit down, disconnecting the spaghetti between the two. He regained control of his body and backed away from the table, from the plate of ginger teriyaki spaghetti and away from Hisako.

"S-Soma, what's wrong?!" Hisako cried out as she felt like she missed a once in a lifetime opportunity.

"This dish is what's wrong!" Soma was still gathering himself after he had a very intimate moment with Hisako. "Hisako…" Soma's voice lowered as he dragged on. "What did you put in this dish?"

"Huh? Looks like a perfectly normal dish to me." Alice kept tapping her lips with her finger as she observed from afar.

"Smells normal too." Megumi quickly backed away from the dish. This was the dish that had intoxicated Soma and now he was being extra wary.

Erina swiped a bit of the sauce and licked it. _"Ah, is this what they call an indirect kiss~? Wait…why would I care about anything like that?!...Hmm?"_ Erina kept blinking at the dish, everything tasted as it should have and yet…with her God Tongue she was able to tell there was something…off.

"Erina-cchi? You're all red."

"Do you have a fever or something?" Megumi touched Erina's forehead with the back of her hand.

Erina shook her head, "No, that's not it. How can I describe it?"

"Oh oh!" Alice was ready to take this opportunity to tease her cousin to her heart's content. "I bet you feel like doing lewd things~ Hehe."

Erina's eyes opened widen as she nodded her head and pointed at Alice for being correct.

"Yes! Exactly that."

"HUH?!"

The room was silent. Everyone just stared on as Erina, the ice queen who had everyone bow down to her every whim, admitted to thinking perverted thoughts. But this change in personality only happened after Erina licked the sauce of Hisako's plate. Which begs the question. What in the world did Hisako put in her dish? All eyes were now on Hisako, who was shaking. She curled herself in a ball, ready to face her punishment but refused to let up on her secret ingredient. At that point, there was only one thing to do.

"Restrain her!"

"No, wait. We can talk about this!"

Megumi had commanded of everyone. Hisako was struggling mightily, kicking, flailing and then turtling to defend whatever was this so-called secret ingredient which was on her person. Soma thought it'd be harassment if he helped restrain a female classmate of his. But that was fine to him, after all, he had a good view of his other female classmates pouncing on Hisako who was sprawled out across the floor. But then he caught himself in more perverted thoughts and tried to stop thinking about it immediately.

" _What is going on with me right now?"_

After doing a body search of Hisako, they discovered a crushed white powder in a clear prescription bottle.

"Hisako, what is this?" Erina gave her a stern look. Perfect, Erina was the best person to interrogate the medical cook. Erina just dangled the bottle in front of her. "Tell me, before I feed you all of its' contents."

"Ummm, Erina…I'm not quite sure if you know this but too much medicine could kill someone." Megumi meekly warned her before cowering away.

"Oh? Then she better speak up fast."

"Geez, that's terrifying…" Ryoko and Alice backed away from the entire situation. After that statement, Hisako was no longer being held down by anyone. Erina's death stares were enough to make Hisako weak at the knees.

"It's…an aphrodisiac. An incredibly potent one at that."

"Wait, so you mean to say…"

Everyone looked over at Soma who was still panting and blushing heavily. As a boy going through puberty, the aphrodisiac only made things worse. He was a pent up ball of hormones. His hormones were out of control but he put all his willpower into resisting temptation. And it was lucky that he did, if he hadn't, the Shokugeki might have ended right there with him and Hisako kissing and her being declared the winner.

" _And I was so close too!"_ Hisako's eyes squinted, sad at the thought of being unable to succeed in her ploy. She touched her lips, disappointed that it never reached Soma's.

" _Kukuku."_ Alice laughed to herself.

It seemed Megumi had the same thought as she too laughed to herself. Hisako was the only one to notice the devious laughter from the two and felt unsettled.

" _Thank you…Hisako!"_ Megumi and Alice continued laughing to themselves.

The Shokugeki had progressed. Soma had been forced to become an aroused teenager in a sea of women that surrounded him and it would only further distract him from being able to properly judging each and every dish. Alice and Megumi's laughter had indicated their intention on using Hisako's aphrodisiac to their advantage. But they had other tricks up their sleeves to win over Soma. Poor Erina, relatively new to the concept of love and war was unaware of it all. And worse for an unsuspecting Soma, what was originally supposed to be a nice, quaint Shokugeki for Soma had just evolved into the Suffering of Soma.

* * *

 _ **AN:**_ _This chapter may not have been a battle of wits like the first one, but it goes to show that this Shokugeki can take all sorts of shapes and forms. It was always my intention to have a dense Soma hopefully this chapter gave insight on why that is. Also my intention to have Ryoko and Yuki unable to participate due to someone stealing their ingredients (The side story mystery) I just didn't know where to include that in the first chapter after this changed into a multi-chapter fic. However, any other girls of the 92nd generation, were afterthoughts to be honest._

 _Each trick/sabotage when presenting the plate is in-character for them. (Nikumi: Large portions of meat, Hisako: Drugs) Which made timing when someone would present their plate difficult! Order doesn't foreshadow the result, just means I already have everyone's tricks in mind and had to think about the domino effect each one would have. RIP Soma._

 _Thank you for reading, until the next time!_


	3. Seduction & Science

"I cannot. CAN. NOT believe you drugged Soma!" Erina stood staring down upon the sprawled out Hisako, the ice queen's glare sent chills up her assistant's spine. As her personal assistant, Hisako knew the next few days, maybe even the next few years would become a living nightmare.

Thanks to the aphrodisiac Hisako slipped into her own dish, Soma brought forth all his willpower to resist being intimate with any of the girls. But he stared on at the scene before him. Yuki, Ryoko, Megumi, Nikumi, Hisako, Erina and Alice all the most desirable girls of the 92nd generation surrounded him, wishing for his attention. He saw potential in having a personal harem all to himself, which chipped little by little at his willpower.

Alice put her hands on her hips, chiming in to scold the poor assistant, "Shame on you Hisako. I would never dream of going to such lengths for selfish reasons."

"Hi, sorry if I'm interrupting," Satoshi Isshiki waved his hand as his head peeked out from the kitchen door. "But I found a certain stray dog sniffing around the kitchen."

Isshiki walked out of the kitchen, towards the gallery with his hand gripping the collar of Kurokiba's shirt. Alice nervously felt the intense stares she received from her fellow contestants.

"Wh-what are two doing in the kitchen?! Can't you see there's a Shokugeki going on?!" Alice propped her hands on her hips acting angry at the actions of Isshiki and Ryo. But considering that Ryo was Alice's personal assistant, she wasn't fooling anyone.

"I just wanted to grab a snack is all." Isshiki pulled a seaweed snack that belonged to Soma's section of the kitchen.

"Oh! I could really go for some snacks right now!" Soma stood up from his seat trying to escape the Shokugeki but the other contestants immediately pushed him back onto the chair.

Erina's nails slowly dug into the exterior of Soma's skin, "Oh no you don't. You haven't tried my dish yet. It'll have you throw your head backwards, gasping, moaning, pleading for more."

"Oya?" Alice had a smug smirk expression, Erina hated that expression, it meant she would have to think of a sly remark to Alice incoming teasing. "Erina, were you imagining Soma's reaction just now? His gasps, his moans~"

"Eh? W-wait, you have it all wrong! It's Hisako's aphrodisiac talking." There it was, Alice's comment which threw Erina off her guard. But she was ready, after all, Alice had no high ground to stand on. "Alice, don't dodge the real problem here."

"What? Ha…haha…Me? Dodging? Alice slowly crept backwards to get away from Erina.

"Yes. You don't really expect me to believe that you don't know anything about THAT." Erina pointed towards Kurokiba who had been forced to kneel.

"Erina." Megumi interrupted. "I don't think we'll get anything out of her. It might be best if we go back to our dishes."

"Hmph. You're right. There's no way I'd lose to anyone who would have someone else do their dirty work for them. Let's go."

Erina and Megumi headed back inside the kitchen and Alice slowly entered the door, feeling the glares from the remaining competitors. Erina and Megumi swiped a finger to their dish to taste test it.

" _Strange."_ Erina raised an eyebrow. _"Nothing seems out of place. When I tasted Hisako's drug induced dish, I could immediately tell there was something off about the dish. But…did Kurokiba do anything? Did Isshiki catch him in time? Or maybe, considering Alice's molecular gastronomy background, the reaction hadn't taken effect yet."_

"I don't feel any different." Megumi stirred her pot, trying to spot the substance Kurokiba put into her plate. "Erina?"

"Nothing, but I'd stay careful if I were you. It is Alice after all."

Alice puffed her cheeks, "How mean Erina! What's that supposed to mean?!"

"There's a reason Isshiki caught Kurokiba in this kitchen moments ago."

"I don't know anything about that!"

Erina shared a glance of disbelief with Megumi. Erina finally started to get the hang of this abnormal, unofficial Shokugeki. Without professional judges and the eyes of the audience, her fellow competitors could get by with the art of deception and she was not going to let Alice of all people fool her.

"I'll ask you again." Erina cracked her knuckles, "What. Did. You. Do?"

"Nothing!" Alice swung her arms to her sides in a fit. "And what's with that violent gesture!?"

"Oh nothing." Erina imitated a boxer's pose and began to shadowbox. "Just thinking about taking out the lying cheaters in this Shokugeki."

Megumi nervously laughed to herself, _"Erina, I never expected you to be the type that prefers brawn over brains. In fact, I think brute force might be the worse sabotage of all."_

"Geez Erina! You're so focused on me, that Megumi could get away with anything at this point! Her and Isshiki are close, maybe he did something to your plate!"

"Don't be ridiculous!" Erina pointed her finger at Megumi, "Look at her! Megumi wouldn't harm a fly! Her observation skills are top-notch. She always seems to know when something is bothering me. She's been nothing but a supportive friend through and through! Why yesterday, she told me to confront Soma about this annoying aching feeling whenever I see him!"

" _Wait…Megumi…told Erina to confront Soma? You mean it wasn't of her own volition?"_ Alice's eyes widen in horror as she looked past Erina's shoulder to the sight of a smug smiling Megumi who brought up her hand to cover her mouth and hide her own laughter.

" _Hehehe. It's exactly what you're thinking Alice. You think Erina motivated everyone into participating in this Shokugeki? You're wrong, the mastermind behind this Shokugeki is I, Tadokoro Megumi."_

"You planned all this from the start!" Alice pointed accusations at Megumi. "You baited Erina into creating an opportunity for this Shokugeki."

"Hah?" Megumi gave Alice a delinquent-like stare. "I have no idea what you're talking about."

"We only declared this Shokugeki yesterday but…you've been planning this Shokugeki for months, haven't you?"

"That's not possible Alice. You can't plan for a Shokugeki, not knowing the theme." Erina tried to reassure her. "Now stop trying to accuse Megumi for being an unfair competitor and stop distracting me! I have a dish to fix, thanks to Nikumi."

Alice accepted Erina's answer as a reasonable one and readied herself to continue her dish but she noticed Megumi smugly smiling and heading towards her vicinity. Megumi needed access to the spices and seasonings which were near the cupboard beside Alice. As she made her way, crossing paths with Alice she whispered to her within earshot, unheard by Erina.

"Soma's easygoing and carefree. I mean, anyone that _truly_ loves Soma would know that'd be his theme. But you didn't know that, did you?"

"W-why you?…" Alice whispered back. She had every right to alert Erina but it felt useless. This entire time, Megumi used Erina, the queen of Tootsuki as a mere pawn in this intricate chess-like Shokugeki. Erina suspected nothing of Megumi and thought she was the only other clean competitor but that was far from the truth.

"Alice. Are you baking, a lava cake perhaps?"

Alice felt a shiver run across her spine, she found it hard to breathe, "How…"

"And you're going to make a cage of white chocolate using liquid nitrogen?"

"Ding."

The sound came from oven in which Alice baked her lava cake, which indicated it had finished baking.

"Sounds like you're almost done. You know, if you're so suspicious of me, why don't you take a small nibble? Good luck." Megumi finished grabbed her seasonings and spices and returned back to her dish.

Alice, took any sort of compliment from Megumi as sarcasm from this point on. Megumi knew the approach Alice would go for, knew that she'd go for the route of baking rather than cooking. But what Alice hoped for, is that Megumi did not know _why_ she chose to make a dessert.

" _Tadokoro Megumi, I'll wipe your bitchy smug grin off your mouth. Angel my ass. I still have…a secret ingredient up my sleeves."_

"A dessert?" Erina found the very nature of the dish to be rather bland by Alice's standards. Alice's cooking typically had more flashiness and finesse to it. _"True her style of cooking is more suited towards desserts but she always left her recipient in awe from having a meal look like dessert. Just what are you planning?"_

" _You know what I'm making? So what?"_ Alice cleared her throat before announcing her plan to the remaining contestants. "Do you know _why_ I'm making a dessert?"

Megumi and Erina looked on, they weren't close to finishing their dish, in comparison to Alice.

"In a 4 course meal, there's the soup or salad, the appetizer, the entree and then…dessert."

"Ah! You mean, you're trying to-" Erina had figured it out.

"Yes. When someone is eating their dessert, whether they want to or not, their body is telling them that this will be the last part of the meal they ate. Which means, after Soma eats my dessert, he won't have the appetite for either of your dishes!"

"T-that's not fair! I was done first but Nikumi added in the salt so I had to change it up!"

"You're redirecting your anger at the wrong person. That has nothing to do with me, my dear cousin."

Alice had just about finished up with the finishing touches on her dessert and with a cocky grin on her face, she passed by Megumi, talking quietly enough so only Megumi could hear.

"Hah. In a 4 course meal, who's ever heard of the soup going after the dessert? Your dish would have been best received by Soma, had you gone first. Don't estimate the Nakiri family, Tadokoro Megumi."

"Alice, where are you going?" Erina called out to her, "The judging is that way." She pointed to the correct door.

"Oh I know. Seeing Isshiki-senpai just reminded me of something."

"Reminded you…of something?"

"Yeah, I'll be right there." Alice proceeded to lick her lips and wink. "So leave the kitchen, wait for me and enjoy the show~"

* * *

Alice confidently presented the dish before Soma. It was encased in a glass cover. From the outside all anyone could see was the fog pressing up against the lid. But more so than the flashy presentation of the dish was the attire worn by Alice. After weeks of wondering, she had finally learned what the inhabitants of Polar Star meant by Isshiki's naked apron. The front one covered by the apron and so was her butt. But everyone could tell that Alice had stripped down to nothing with only the fabric of the apron teasing her shapely body.

" _I thank you for the aphrodisiac, Hisako! I must look irresistible right now."_ Alice bent over as she placed her hand over the glass cover, emphasizing the fair skin of her cleavage being contained by the pure white apron.

Kurokiba clenched his hands tightly, the person he'd serving for half his life stood before him and everyone else, acting shamelessly and fawning over his rival. Soma on the other hand tried his best to keep his eyes on the prize, the dish presented by Alice. But as a boy at the height of puberty and being dosed with an aphrodisiac, his eyes slowly averted to Alice's body until it became obvious that he'd be ogling her.

Alice hid a smile to herself, _"It's working! That's right. You can stare all you want. And if you were man enough to ask, I'd even allow you to touch all you want."_

"Ahhh~ It's nice to see a fellow apron enthusiast." Isshiki gave off an aura of sunshine and rainbows, unfazed by Alice's attire. To him, the naked apron was a way of life.

Hisako shook a fist at her, "Grrr. That's dirty Alice!"

Nikumi walked up behind Hisako and put her in a headlock, "This is all your fault!"

"If I recall…" Megumi jealously stared at Nikumi's chest, "You were pushing your chest up with your arms to show them off. Because you knew any normal boy his age would react that way."

"Urk!"

"Any normal boy…" Erina rudely pointed at Soma, "You think anything about Yukihira is normal!?"

Soma began to salivate, with drool falling from the side of his face without his knowing. Could it be from the sight of Alice or from eagerly waiting to eat his dish? Either way, it was truly unsettling for the competitors.

" _Just a little bit more and I'll have this Shokugeki in the bag."_

"Alice." Soma didn't know where to look but he kept staring at places one shouldn't be openly staring at. "Can I see what's underneath? I don't think I can wait any longer."

The jaws of the gallery dropped. They couldn't believe what they were hearing. Did Soma just say what they think he said? There's a time and a place for everything, but not now! Not with everyone here watching. The tears of all the girls watching figuratively broke into pieces at the sound of those words. Megumi had it the worse. She was so confident in herself but after seeing the tricks of each competitors' sleeves, she didn't know how much more her heart could take.

"Heh." Alice brought her index finger to the collar of her apron, slowly tugging downward, "Ask and you shall receive."

"What are you doing, Alice?" Soma clapped his hands together twice.

"Huh? I-I-I'm doing exactly what you asked me to do?"

"The dish. It's blocked by the foggy glass cover. I can't see what's underneath."

"Y-you meant the d-d-d-d-dish? Are you sure?"

"Duh. What else is there?"

" _Why my body, of course!"_

Erina flicked her hair, "If Yukihira were a normal boy, then maybe I'd actually be able to tolerate him."

" _Do you not SEE the naked apron? Are you not tempted by this lewd, ample, sexy body standing here looking like this before you?"_ In a fit of anger Alice prepared herself to go all the way, ready to drag down on her apron anyway but felt a familiar hand grabbing her wrist.

"Miss. You look silly. This look is unbefitting for a young lady such as yourself. Excuse yourself and change your clothes, I'll make sure nothing happens to your dessert, I know how hard you've worked on it after all."

"But Ryo!" Alice tried to defy his instructions but noticed the firm grip on her wrists. _"Ryo must be so embarrassed. I don't think he's planning to let me go until I accept it."_ Alice nodded, "Fine, have it your way. I'll change."

Kurokiba released his hand from Alice's wrist. She shook her hand, he held it so tightly that it'd lost feeling and became numb for a moment. Kurokiba had never grabbed her that tightly before but then again, he'd never seen Alice that exposed before.

Alice started to strut, prance and skip on her way to where she left her clothes but before leaving the room she glanced over at her fellow contestants, "You're lucky. Just a little bit more would have pushed him over the edge. If anyone else wins, then I hope you can take pride in the fact that you won on a technicality. You can thank Ryo for that."

"Somebody's a sore loser. You've never beaten me, Alice. If I win, then I'll take pride in the fact that the score between us will be 82-0." Erina cheekily replied back.

" _82 Straight?!"_ Everyone was taken back by that fact.

"And besides," Hisako confidently shrugged her shoulders, "In this Shokugeki, aren't we all doing whatever it takes to win? Tricks and sabotages have been fair game so far."

"It's just you!" Nikumi tightened her headlock.

Hisako struggled for some air. "You salted Erina's plate!"

Erina's eye twitched as she charged at Alice's veiled dessert. Before Kurokiba stepped in to hold her back, Megumi locked her arms from underneath.

"Erina, don't!"

Kurokiba stared on with his expressionless face, "Thanks, for everything."

* * *

Alice entered the room in normal, proper clothing, much to the disappointment of Isshiki. With a defeat look on her face, she sighed and lifted it and the fog released, unveiling a lava cake caged by white chocolate frozen by liquid nitrogen

"Finally!" Soma's eyes were glued to Alice's dish. Alice had poked a small hole in the lava cake, which caused the heat of the cake to rise up against the white chocolate cage. Slowly, the white chocolate melted, drip by drip like the running of a candle, onto the lava cake itself. Soma felt like a kid at a science fair, slowly watching his dish unravel its true form before him.

" _Alice…she's using his curiosity and her playful style of cooking to grab his attention. Even without the naked apron, she still had this as a backup?"_ Hisako observed freely, lucky for her, Nikumi no longer had her in a headlock.

Soma waited until most of the cage stopped melted. At that point any remains of the white chocolate cage, Soma took apart with his own fingers and crunched into it as if it were a white chocolate bar.

"There's something…peculiar about the taste of this white chocolate."

"Oh, is there an aphrodisiac in there too?" Nikumi joked as the other competitors shot a quick dirty glance at Hisako.

"No, but it tastes bittersweet. Oddly enough, I like it." Soma continued to nibble on it, wanting to savour the taste but felt like he should move onto the lava cake before it lost any more fresh heat. "I'm digging in."

Soma cut a clean slice of the lava cake using his spoon. From there, the cake oozed out shades of orange, brown and green melting chocolate. The overwhelming smell and sight of chocolate had Soma falling to temptation and ready to take a bite without thinking. The gallery could only help but watch as Soma eyed the dessert with lustful stares.

Kurokiba saw the sparkle in Alice's eye, this was where she got fired up to show off and explain her plate, _"_ Miss, you look thirsty, here a glass of water." Like a good assistant, Kurokiba had prepared the water beforehand.

"Thanks Ryo." Alice gulped down the glass of water. She looked at the glass oddly, _"God, Ryo knows better than to give me tap water!"_ Alice proceeded onward, her naked apron plan failed but soon enough she returned to tiptop form, "It's a quadruple chocolate lava cake. For the exterior, I used regular unsweetened chocolate, on the inside are caramel, milk chocolate. And of course, the white chocolate which melted, drizzled on top of the cake."

"Wait only 4 types of chocolate? Then why does it look…" Nikumi eyed the dish closely. "Green. I see a bit of green."

"It's matcha." Kurokiba answered for Alice. "I've seen her experimenting and trying to incorporate it into her dishes."

Erina brought out her glasses, ready to lecture her fellow peers, "Matcha has a bunch of health benefits-"

"Enough talking." Soma cut her off.

"How rude!" Erina puffed her cheeks at him.

"But look at cake, it's bubbling before me, I can't hold back anymore." Soma's mouth inched closer to the slice of cake and took the tip of his tongue to taste.

"Ahhhh, hurry up and chow it down already!" Kurokiba roared at him with a fiery passion, as he suddenly wore the bandana which famously caused a personality change within him. "Or are you saying the missus cooking ain't good enough for ya?"

"Hey, hey. I'm just being cautious." Soma reassured him. "The last dish had a drug. Who knows what's inside this dish."

"Hah? You think she'd stoop that low!?"

" _Naked apron…"_ Everyone in the gallery thought quietly.

Soma licked his lips, savouring the taste that was on the tip of his tongue moments ago.

"So? Do you feel any different? Is there an aphrodisiac inside?" Erina tried to pester him, gauging his reactions and expressions.

"I feel fine. Time to go for more!"

Soma graciously took 2 large bites, happily moaning from the delicious taste. The small scientific show when Alice presented the plate, had elevated his expectations and the tastes lived up to those expectations. Soma scooped up for his third bite, slowly lifting the piece to his mouth and then dropped it back onto the plate.

"Uhhhhhgh, no more."

"Huh!?" The gallery chorused.

"What?" Alice slammed the table. "What do you mean no more?"

"He's saying it doesn't taste good." Nikumi stifled her laughter.

"No, it tasted good but suddenly, I feel…sick." Soma winced as he held his stomach.

"Feeling sick? That's worse than being forced to feel sexually aroused." Hisako spoke in a tone that looked down on Alice.

"Is she really talking?"

"Mhmm, she is. Using an aphrodisiac should be considered cheating."

Ryoko, Yuki and Isshiki who had stripped and donned his own naked apron logo with a cute bear mascot, gossiped among each other within the background of the audience.

Megumi took advantage of the situation and rushed over to tend to Soma, "Do you know what's wrong?"

"Y-yeah." Soma looked to be in pain. Everyone's attention was on him as they waited to hear what he had to say. "I…think I…have to take a shit."

"Huh?" The room dropped silent. They began to put two and two together. Everyone had Polar Star knew that on a normal day, Soma ate just enough to get through the day, but by being the only judge of this Shokugeki, he was forced to eat full on meals after meals and the breaks in between each competitors dish gave his stomach time to digest and settle itself, making him more full. Moreover, every time he wanted to leave to stretch his legs, someone would either reel him back to his seat or the next competitor's plate would be ready to serve. Everyone had mistaken Soma's expression to be in pain, when in reality, it was constipation, a true twist unexpected by everyone in the gallery!

"I think…there was a laxative in that." Soma pointed towards Alice's cake.

Or so initially thought. If Soma's instincts were correct, if the reasons for his constipation were from a laxative, that would change everything.

"Laxative? Don't be ridiculous why would I sabotage my own-" Alice paused, realizing the actions that transpired, as so did the gallery.

That would mean someone knew this would happen, that would mean someone purposely sabotaged Alice's plate and purposely brought Soma a world of embarrassment and pain.

But to Alice, one thing didn't add up, "Wait, it can't be my cake. I've been taste testing it this entire time and I feel fine."

"I don't know what to say. But this feeling hit me hard soon after taking a bite or two." Soma tried to hold it in as best he could to be respectful to Alice.

"Maybe you used expired eggs?" Yuki tried to play detective.

"Maybe you used expired chocolate." Nikumi chimed in.

"Alice may be dumb."

"Hey!"

"But not dumb enough to cook with expired goods." Erina halfheartedly defended her cousin.

"None of that explains why Alice is fine and Soma's not." Hisako with her medical expertise walked up to Soma, trying to figure out what was wrong. Megumi was beside him the entire time, blushing as she rubbed his back trying to soothe him.

"Hisako…" Erina came to an epiphany, "Don't you have a bottle of laxatives lying around?"

The room came to a halt. "…Restrain her!"

"This again!?"

All the girls except for Megumi, who continued to happily stay by Soma's side, charged at Hisako, violently grabbing at her arms and legs.

"Wait! Hey. Stop that!" Hisako kicked and flailed but she was easily overpowered. "I did have a bottle, in fact I had planned to used laxatives that kicked in about 5 minutes after my dish. If I had gone first, then it'd be the only plate Soma could properly judge, making me the winner."

"Not making things better for yourself." Alice tightened her grip on Hisako, she looked ready to eliminate Hisako, it was her dish after all which got the brunt of it.

"B-but! Someone took the laxatives, so I was forced to use the aphrodisiac!"

"Of course. Why am I not surprised? If something smells, you can expect Hisako to be behind it."

"Quiet Nikumi, you smell like rotten meat!" Nikumi resumed her headlock on the red head.

"Rotten meat? Urghhhh. That's it for me." Soma groaned. He reached his limit. He gently pushed Megumi away and holding his stomach tightly, rushed in a limp to the nearest washroom.

If Hisako were to be believed, then some anonymous person had stolen the laxatives and they were no closer to solving who that person was.

"Was it you?" Hisako questioned her attacker. "There are some laxatives that take a while for some effect."

"That's a stupid suggestion. I would never do that to the person I love. What about you? Fool me once, shame on you. But fool me twice…"

" _Love."_ Erina shuddered at the word being associated with Soma.

"I already used the aphrodisiac!" Hisako's tone had some odd guilty pride off that fact.

"Well it can't be me or Megumi, she's an angel!" Erina tried to deflect any accusations.

"You, I believe. Megumi on the other hand…" Alice stared daggers at her. "But I doubt anyone would ever do that to the person they love. And the only one that doesn't like Soma is…" Alice stopped mid sentence. She was ready to point the suspicion on her cousin but came to the real culprit.

Alice let go of Hisako and walked over to grab her glass of water. She swivelled the remaining water inside the glass around and stood in front of Ryo with her head down and her expressions hidden.

Alice took her glass of water and splashed the remaining water at Ryo's face. Everyone in the room, including Ryo was stunned.

"Bad Ryo…" Alice muttered quietly as she weakly placed the glass of water back on the table. "It was you, wasn't it Ryo? You added the laxative to my cake."

Kurokiba took his bandana off to wipe his face dry and then stared right at Alice. His typical lazy expression didn't change.

"You didn't even know about the Shokugeki and yet, you were found in the kitchen." Alice looked at Megumi and Erina. "I really didn't know why he was in there!" She continued, "And as I was practicing to make the cake yesterday…"

" **Miss, what are you making?"**

" **Hehe, I'm thinking of making a quadruple chocolate matcha lava cake for a special someone tomorrow~"**

" **Me?"**

" **I said a special someone. Now where were you, Ryo? I had to go and gather these heavy ingredients all by myself!"**

" **I went to visit Hisako for some medicine but she wasn't there, so I just took what I needed. If you're wondering, the medicine here isn't for me but for someone important to me."**

"The medicine you grabbed, were the laxatives, right?"

Kurokiba scratched the back of his head, "Ahhh~" He sighed, "You found out. Should have known better than to underestimate you."

"Why…?" Tears slid down the side of Alice's round cheeks.

He had seen many expression from Alice over the years but never genuine hope shattering tears. His throat felt clogged, he had begun to feel guilty over his actions, "Do I…need a reason? There's no particular…reason."

Megumi sighed. This was going nowhere and fast. She grabbed a hold of Kurokiba's bandana and tied around his head herself.

Kurokiba's entire body language seemed more energetic than usual and his blood boiled with the fiery spring time of youth.

"Why, you ask?" He sounded more confident this time around as flexed both his arms until you could clearly see the veins bulging out. "Because Alice!"

" _Alice? He's never called me that before…"_

Kurokiba brought his right hand over his heart, and met eye to eye with Alice, "I like you."

"Eh?" Alice's entire body froze from those words. By the end of the Shokugeki, she had expected to hear those words from Soma today but instead it was the person beside all this time, Ryo and now her brain could no longer keep up with her ears.

"Ohhhhh~~~" Nikumi, Hisako, Ryoko, Yuki and Megumi were all hugging each other as they watched on at the live confession.

"Ah! This is like in that butler and princess manga! This is getting juicy!" Erina watched in awe and joined the huddle of girls, squeezing herself between Megumi and Hisako.

"What sorta man would just idly sit by and watch as the person he likes, pours her heart out cooking for and talking about another man? To dress up in a naked apron and see you show off that body to another man? Not this man, that's for sure. So yeah, I ruined your cake, because he doesn't deserve to taste it and I made him feel literally shitty for trying to steal you away. And I know how you love to taste test your own cooking, so you'd be affected by the laxatives too. But that's why I gave you a glass of water with the antidote mixed in before it could take effect."

"Ryo…"

"Sorry. I've never done a confession before!" Kurokiba's face was a mixture between passionate, embarrassed, lustful and nervous. He didn't know how to feel, he didn't know how Alice would respond, he didn't know what to do and through it all, he was sweating profusely but he tried to keep his composure.

He grabbed a clean spoon and then walked over to the plate of unfinished, laxative-filled cake and picked it up.

"Eh? Ryo? What are you doing?" Alice asked him.

"I told you didn't I?! He's not going to finish this! He doesn't deserve to taste your cooking. So no matter how bad you mess up, no matter how much you try to experiment. Give it all to me. Because I don't care, I'll eat all your cooking, Alice!"

Erina smiled with her arms crossed over her chest, "Heh, big talk. But we all know you have the antidote. Though I applaud your intentions, Kurokiba."

"I don't." Kurokiba dropped an empty vial. The last drops were in the glass of water Alice splashed in his face. "There was only enough for one person." Kurokiba grinned at Alice before happily shouting, "Itadakimasu!"

Ryo took a bite without hesitation and then another, and another until not even crumbs remained. He stood with an intensity that rivalled his concentration when cooking. He tried to keep cool and manly, pretending the laxatives had no impact on him but deep down, he could feel the pit in his stomach sinking to his rear. All the confused expressions on his face shifted to constipation disguised as pain. He averted Alice's stare and then rushed towards the nearest washroom.

"Oii! How long are you gonna be in there?!" Kurokiba pounded away at the door violently. "It's been 10 minutes already!"

"Yeah and I think it's going to be 10 more minutes." Soma's voice could be heard, muffled by the door.

"Don't fuckin' scare me like that!"

"What reason would I have to scare you?"

"Because you only ate 2 bites, I ate the whole cake."

"NOW WHY THE HELL WOULD YOU DO THAT?!" Soma responded back, very confused with Kurokiba's actions. From the moment he entered the washroom, he had no idea what was happening in the outside world nor could he think about anything else. "I said the cake had laxatives!"

"I know it did, I'm the one who added them in!"

"YOU WHAT?!" Soma screeched so loudly his voice cracked. "Then why would you…?! You know, I think it's going to take about 20 more minutes, good luck Kurokiba."

"Wha-? You asshole open the door!"

* * *

Everyone gathered up in the dining room. Kurokiba and Soma were hopefully finished with the unspeakable things that lasted for an unspeakable amount of time. Alice giggled, fawning over her longtime friend and now boyfriend, Kurokiba Ryo.

"And soooooo. I'm dropping out of the Shokugeki. I'm sorry you had to go through that." Alice laughed while apologizing. "Ryo! Your turn!"

"My bad."

"Ryo! Properly!"

"MY BAD."

"Grrr." Alice grabbed him by the back of his hair and pushed him all the way down to the ground until he was kneeling before Soma.

"Sorry. Sorry. Won't happen again.

"Woooow, she already has him whipped~" Yuki teased with Ryoko.

"Haha, I think the dynamic will change once Kurokiba wears his bandana." Hisako smiled at the two. "It must be nice… to have your love reciprocated back like that…"

Erina was nodding innocently and approving of their relationship, "Just like in the mangas."

Soma sat in his judging chair and confused at the sight of Alice playfully swaying her body as she held Kurokiba's arm firmly. After years of touching and being touched by one another without a second thought, the newfound couple were unable to look each other in the eye. Alice had been moved by Kurokiba's confession and her feelings for Soma slowly began to disappear. It could have been that deep down, she always liked Ryo but after years of being friends with no sign of progress, she thought he'd never see her that way. And so, she focused her attention on the second male chef to ever defeat her one on one, Soma. But as it all turns out, Kurokiba Ryo had always had Alice on his mind, but he was too shy to say anything, all he needed was a little push. A little push from a certain someone who's plan was now back on track.

" **Ah, Kurokiba. Did you hear? Alice is going to participate in a Shokugeki. The winner claims the rights to have Soma all to themselves."**

 **Kurokiba's eyebrows twitched before looking away, "Doesn't have anything to do with me."**

" **No? I thought you liked Alice."**

 **Kurokiba aggressively placed his hand on Megumi's shoulder, "How did you-…?"**

" **H-h-h-huh? I thought it was…obvious." Megumi jumped up.** _ **"Oh dear, this was a bad idea. He looks like he's going to kill me!"**_

" **Whatever. Nothing I can do about it."**

" **Maybe there is. You see, it's not a** _ **real**_ **Shokugeki. There are no rules. So I think the other competitors have some dirty tricks up their sleeve. Hisako has a whole selection of drugs to choose from for example, oh I'm worried about her. I, on the other hand, plan to win fair and square."**

" **Huh…I'll think about it."**

"Congratulations, you two!" Megumi hugged them both. "I'm so happy for both of you! I hope to have what you two have some day." Megumi snuck a peek at Soma before resuming her hug.

The other competitors felt the same. With Alice out of the way, the number of competitors reduced from 5 to 4 but that didn't change a thing. Alice got her happily ever after and by the end of this Shokugeki, they all hoped that they too, would get their happily ever after.

"You know…I've been through a lot today. I don't think my body can handle anymore. Sorry, but I think this is as far as the Shokugeki goes."

A sudden announcement from Soma. He just called it quits. It made sense, he had been in the washroom for who knows how long but that would mean the judging would have to decided then and there. They could postpone the judging but that would mean either starting over from the beginning or having a Shokugeki over two days, which would change everything. Judging dishes days apart could potentially lead to an inaccurate decision if the judge so happened to forget the taste of the previous dishes. And so, Nikumi and Hisako both looked at each other, their faces lightened up and they celebrated amongst each other. But Erina and Megumi lost the colour in their face. One way or another it appeared that Alice's plan worked, dessert was going to be the last thing Soma had. All the dishes along with all sabotages had taken a toll on Soma's body until he could take no more. The end dawned upon the Shokugeki for Soma, dawned upon the suffering of Soma. Or so he hoped but we all knew it couldn't just end here, there were still dishes to be tasted and further catastrophic events to occur. And so continues, the suffering of Soma.

 **Status of the Shokugeki**

Ikumi Mito: _Served dish while providing dreams of the faraway future_  
Hisako Arato: _Served dish with an aphrodisiac_  
Alice Nakiri: _Happily Dropped Out (Also would have been disqualified anyway)_  
Soma Yukihira: _Bloated, drugged, clenched and fed up._  
Tadokoro Megumi: _Unserved and scheming(?)_  
Erina Nakiri: _Salty_

* * *

 _AN:_ This chapter was difficult. Alice's chapter was difficult to write because she has so much potential for sabotages. But I managed to combine about half the sabotages I thought up for her in this chapter and hopefully it turned out well and everyone enjoyed it.

 _Little spoiler on a future chapter of the fic. There could be a chapter I didn't initially plan to have if it works out it'll be added in. No change to true ending._

 _Thank you for reading, until the next time!_


	4. Interruption & Hunting

"Thanks for the dishes everyone, I'm sorry I couldn't taste yours." Soma remorsefully smiled in Erina and Megumi's direction, his expression then switched to an excited grin, "But I'm going to take a nap!"

Soma leapt off his feet in a hurry, a part of him felt relieved that it was all over but the back of his shirt collar got caught by Erina's tight grip, momentarily choking him.

"You're not going anywhere, Yukihira."

"But I don't feel so good!"

"Erina, I think you should treat Soma gently, he has been through a lot after all." Megumi tried to put a halt to what would inevitably lead to an argument.

"Hah? You of all people want to go easy on him? Have you forgotten about that time with the peanut butter squid? Or how about the strawberry jam shrimp? Or even the chocolate surf clams?"

"Urrrrgh." The memories alone were enough to churn Megumi's stomach.

"This is your chance to pay him back!"

"Pay me back? Is this Shokugeki supposed to be my punishment?!"

"No, but I'll use any chance! Yukihira, what is it with you and seafood?! Seafood is meant to be cooked with the utmost delicacy and elegance, not that you'd understand. But honestly, peanut butter squid? You'd never see me cook such an atrocity."

"Ya got me Nakiri. I'm more of a meat and eggs person."

Megumi's stomach continued churning at the mere thought of those concoctions. Erina had reminded Megumi of all the other times Soma would aggressively encourage her to be a taste tester. Her taste buds would turn numb and just as she would regain feeling.

" **Perfect, here's the next one!"**

Soma would slide the plate across the table. He'd grin ear to ear with a devilish snicker, almost as if he already knew the taste but would still be hoping to hear the results straight from Megumi's mouth and every single time, she'd find the taste utterly repulsive.

"I…"

"I?"

"Thank you, Erina. I could never forget those times…that's why…" Megumi glanced over to Soma with a sadistic smile, "You aren't going anywhere. Not until you taste my dish."

"And mine." Erina licked her lips with a face so disturbing that you'd think she had just killed a man.

"Nope, just mine."

"What? But that's not fair!"

"Fair? You were trying to piggyback off the sacrifices my tongue made." Megumi stormed back into the kitchen but returned quickly with a bowl in her cupped hands and placed before Erina.

"What…is this?"

Erina inched her face closer towards the bowl with a peculiar expression of curiosity. The contents were yellow and glistening , it appeared to be a gelatin substance. The gelatin was translucent with more contents inside.

"Hey! That's my durian tuna jello from yesterday."

"…"

"What is wrong with you?!" Erina barked at him, "This is an insult to food everywhere! Why did you show me this Megumi?"

"If you want things to be fair, eat this abomination."

"Nonsens-"

"Eat. It. NOW."

Erina's plan to manipulate Megumi backfired and now, now had to eat something so terrible that if she were to proceed, could cause her to lose the title of 'God Tongue' forever. She reached out towards the jello bowl, her arms shaking, hesitating. Instinctively, her body knew it would reject the jello, she had tried his peanut butter squid but this was on an entirely different tier from that.

" _Why am I even considering this? Why am I doing all this for Yukihira Soma? Normally, people beg me for my food but if I eat this…thing, then wouldn't that practically be as if I'm begging him?"_

She picked up the bowl and brought her head closer, examining it from every possible angle, smelling it, though that would be useless since the tuna's odor had been trapped within the confines of the jello.

" _Pathetic. I will never beg Yukihira for anything! But…But I can't find a way out of this."_

Erina continuously poked the jello causing ripples on the surface of the jello. It looked like such a playful dish if not for the tuna trapped inside. She tipped the bowl like one would for soup, but it wouldn't fall. She continued to tilt the bowl and her head would follow suit but the jello would not leave the bowl. She put the bowl back down with her face flushed red.

"I…I've never eaten jello before. I assumed it would slide off, I was wrong."

All the girls in the room couldn't help but laugh lightly. It made sense that Erina, a girl with refined, high class tastes had never eaten jello before. Hisako had known but simply wanted to see her friend embarrass herself.

"Haha, how cute." Isshiki patted her head.

Erina swiped at his hand, "Shut up!"

"Never? Well that's a shame. You're missing out."

Soma took a spoon he used for previous contestants' dishes, scooped a chunk of his jello and then shoved the spoon to the tip of her lips.

"Wha?" Erina had been thrown off, as were the others.

"A-a-an indirect…"

"Kiss?!"

"Forget that. Spoon-fed…"

"By Soma?!"

The situation turned from one of despair and embarrassment to one of jealousy. Despite all of Erina's thoughts, her body reacted on its' own, wanting to take a bite of that terrible tasting dish. Time slowed down. The same thought came across all the contestants, it didn't matter who won this Shokugeki, if Erina ate from that spoon held by Soma, they may as well admit defeat to their chances with Soma.

" _And here I am…"_ Erina's closed her eyes as she leaned forward at the spoon held before her. _"Even if I don't want to, my body is begging for it. For a bite of that jello."_

Megumi, Hisako and Ikumi turned their heads away, unable to bare witness to one of the most significant events in Polar Star history.

"Nyaaaaaaaaoh!" From the shadows, a cat-like figure dashed and a light gulp was heard a second later.

"Eeek!" Erina jumped out of the way from the figure before collision could be made.

"Who…who is that?" Nikumi wondered.

Isshiki gave a welcoming smile, "Heh, competition."

"Huh, that voice…" Soma had to think for a moment before realizing who had bitten down on his spoon, "Oh no, I have a bad feeling about this."

The girl tilted her head to the ceiling with Soma still holding the spoon in her mouth. Her thick wavy, red hair covered her eyes and face gaving her an aura of mystery and her cat-like tongue slowly soaked in the flavors of the durian tuna jello.

Erina stared, baffled at who had just entered the dorms, "Rindou Kobayashi, the 2nd seat of the Elite Ten Council."

"Found you, Yukihira~! Nyahaha," She stuck out her tongue in disgust, "That was terrible! Haha!"

She pounced on Soma with her arm swinging over his shoulder. The sudden weight caught him off guard. He dropped his spoon as he stumbled for a moment before regaining his balance.

"Geez, Yukihira," She rapidly poked his cheeks. "Keeping secrets from me. You know that if you're involved in something interesting, I'm going to find out."

Soma squinted angrily at her pestering fingers, "Yeah but I'm not the one cooking this time."

"That's right, they are." Isshiki individually pointed at every competitor in the Shokugeki.

"One, two…seven bombshells? How is that not interesting?"

"Four. This one dropped out." Ryo held Alice by his side to which Alice nodded in agreement.

"Someone stole our ingredients." Ryoko and Yuki pouted.

"And you didn't invite me!?"

"I mean, it's not up to me. I didn't decide this Shokugeki. Anyone could enter. Even boys."

"Why do I have this weird feeling that Takumi's going to be the next person to appear?" Ryoko whispered to Yuki.

"Ohoho! I wish. What trick do you think he'd pull? Ou, ou! Maybe he'd spoon-feed Soma!" Yuki salivated at the thought.

Nikumi and Hisako's faces heated up as they both turned red, visualizing the image created by Yuki.

" **Say ahhh~" Takumi held food between his thumb and index finger, gently pushing it into Soma's mouth. His finger would catch a bit of Soma's tongue. "Hehe, oops. I guess my dish came with a hint of Italian." Takumi playfully winked.**

In that moment, all the girls of the gallery would accept a Takumi victory. The shocking entrance of Rindou had destroyed any tension in the air and allowed Erina to regain her composure.

"Ahem," Erina cleared her throat and bursted the bubble of her friends imagination, "I assume you're here to watch."

Rindou scoffed at the thought, "Watch? You think I would eat tuna jello for the chance to watch a Shokugeki?"

Megumi stood in awe and fear of Rindou.

" _No, she can't be. I could never have predicted this."_

"How could I watch by and have Yukihira settle for a first-year?" Rindou slowly tasted her own lips, they gave a seductive allure with their glossiness to go along with her voice. "Wouldn't it be interesting if he settled for an older woman?"

"I think I can handle being friends with everyone."

Kurokiba slapped Soma's lips shut which made his statement audible to no one else.

"Shut it ya dunce."

"I can definitely _satisfy_ Yukihira better than any inexperienced first-year can." Rindou practically moaned.

"How lewd!" Hisako gasped.

"What was that?!" Nikumi cracked her knuckles.

"Grrrr. This seductress." Yuki began shadowboxing and had to be held back by Ryoko and Isshiki. "Megumi! Erina! Say something!"

" _Haha…an Elite Ten?"_ Megumi's confidence began to waver. No matter how much love she put into her dish, it would probably fall short before the 2nd seat of the Elite Ten.

" _Rindou Kobayashi. You may just be the thing I need."_ Erina crossed her arms and flicked her hair, demanding the attention of the room, "The only problem is…Yukihira claims he can't eat another bite."

"That's right! I never even agreed to continuing the Shokugeki if someone ate the jello!"

"You what? So, you're saying…I almost ate that disgusting dessert of yours for nothing?!"

"I mean, he didn't agree after all." Isshiki defended.

"Umm, hello?" Rindou innocently raised her hand. "I ate that jello!"

"Without anyone's permission, may I add." Despite being younger, Erina treated Rindou like a junior.

"She also got an indirect, spoon-fed kiss by Soma." Hisako scoffed in jealousy.

"Lucky bit-"

Ryoko covered Nikumi's mouth before Rindou could overhear and start an unnecessary catfight.

"But it's fine!" Rindou shrugged her shoulders, "You know what I say? An eye for an eye."

"Eye for an eye? That sounds like you want revenge." Soma started to sweat nervously. He knew his day was going to get a lot worse.

"That dessert was terrible but revenge? Hahaha~ That's not my thing. Not to worry, I won't waste any time. After all…" Rindou snapped her fingers.

Isshiki returned back to the room with Rindou's plate in hand, she arrived and had merely left it in the main hall to keep her hands free.

"Here you go, Rindou."

"Isshiki you traitor!" Yuki ran up to him and walloped repeatedly against his chest.

"I'm sorry, she could smell something interesting was happening, so I just had to tell her. But you're not even in the Shokugeki."

"You think a first year can resist the allure of a third-year?! That feeling of being wanted by a talented, high-class senpai is too much for any normal boy to handle!"

"That's right. Not only am I the second seat of the Elite Ten, but I'm also older and more ahem, developed and not afraid to get down and dirty for my prey." Rindou brushed her hair and she gave a catty smirk to Soma.

Megumi butted herself in between her glare and whispered close to her ear, "I'll admit. You're older, attractive, and versed in many fields. You could sweep any guy off your feet from your reputation alone. To make things more in your favour, the chemistry between you two has potential, you two are very similar after all."

"Haha, right~? Glad that we see things the same-"

"You even look similar."

There it was, the sadistic, scheming smile that the other competitor had become so wary of. Despite being outside of her calculation, Megumi managed to fill a hole in the armor of her new competitor. Rindou had been caught off guard! During her grand entrance, she had taken a single step into room before deeming Erina as the only threat and that was her first mistake.

"Why, you could pass off as brother and sister! Even if you happened to win, if someone (me) kept insinuating such a thing, eventually he wouldn't want to push your sibling-like relationship to the next level. One of the cute things about Soma is how naive he is. He might even believe you two _are_ siblings and then oops, there goes your chance."

Megumi spoke almost threateningly. It was a threat only Megumi could think of so quickly thanks to her homely, family-styled cooking.

"Everyone has been saying you're an angel…"

"I am an angel, Rindou Kobayashi. The type of angel that stands above the battlefield, waiting to deliver the final blow to the warriors knocking on death's door."

Megumi gently slapped Rindou's cheek twice times as if she were petting her.

"After being so dramatic, it'd be so embarrassing if you walked away. So, here's the deal. If either of us win, I still get the rights to Soma and you get to save face. Okay, _Onee-san_?"

"Y-Yeah…I understand." Complete and utter defeat, those were the only feelings that could describe Rindou's voice as she slowly approached the dish, "I understand, Tadokoro Megumi, but I don't agree! Because abiding by you would be no fun at all!"

The plate has been stylishly wrapped using a shedded snake's skin and what appeared to be snake eggs marinated in a curry sauce.

"That's unique…" Erina had never tried snakes before and was jealous that Soma would get to try them first.

"She hunted down a snake?!" Nikumi had entertained the thought of fighting Rindou but not anymore.

Despite Megumi's threat, Rindou had become unfazed. There was no certainty that things would go according to how Megumi described after all and now Rindou intended to make sure Megumi wouldn't dare think of crossing her again.

"Yukihira!"

Rindou grabbed his shoulder and aggressively pushed him onto his seat before the table, she propped one foot onto the small leftover space of the chair. Her skirt lifted up enough to give Soma a sneak peek of what he'd get if he chose her.

"Here before you, aren't snake eggs but sheep eyes topped with crispy snake skin in sheep blood curry sauce."

"Sheep and snake? How would those two even work together? What gave you the idea to use those two?" Erina continued to be intrigued, ignoring the fact that Rindou could win the Shokugeki.

"Convenience. The snake hunted the sheep and I hunted the snake. That's an easy 2 for 1 deal!"

"Okay, now I'm even more scared." Nikumi latched onto the back of Hisako.

Rindou's attention turned back to Soma, she brought two fingers to his chin and lifted them up as they stared at each other, "I want your eyes to focus on me and only me. I told you, I'd pay you back." She pointed at his eyes and then the sheep eyes and picked one up. "An eye…for an eye."

Rindou proceeded to finger feed him and she moaned delightfully, going all out in her attempts to seduce Soma. Jealously arose from the girls in the room, wishing it could be them in Rindou's position. She managed to feed and be fed by Soma. She turned her head to the competitors and winked. Mouthing the words, 'I win'.

"Ugh. It's no good."

"Eh?"

Rindou's skin turned pale as she went back to focus on Soma, who had his tongue sticking out and a disgusted expression on his face. Meanwhile, the other competitors had their ears perked up and a slight smile on their face filled with hope.

"Y-Y-Yukihira, what do you mean?"

"Considering this is a Shokugeki and the effort you put into your dish. It wouldn't be fair if I rejected you. But knowing that I'm eating sheep eyeballs is really unappetizing."

Preference. Everyone has specific foods or ingredients they like and dislike. In a food competition, in an official Shokugeki, there are multiple judges with different preferences to minimize the bias of presented dishes. Technique, finesse, plating, creativity. None of these things that would normally matter, matter to Soma. In this Shokugeki, what truly matters is the theme itself, 'Soma's favourite food', the taste and Rindou failed to give that. As this was the first time Soma ever tried snake and sheep eyes, it was very unlikely he'd enjoy the tastes of both unique ingredients on the first try, even the second seat of Tōtsuki could salvage that.

"I'm sorry Rindou but I can't eat this, let alone finish it."

She could ignore Megumi's threats. But this time it was truly, utter defeat for Rindou.

"I understand." She picked up her dish, her hair blocking any expression as she walked into the kitchen staring down at the ground and her failure of a dish and then closed the door behind her.

"I feel terrible but I feel like I could have handled that better…"

All the competitors wanted to say something, the reality of the Shokugeki had hit them. They hoped to overwhelm him with their best meal coupled with all their tactics and schemes to give them an edge but at the end of the day, the winner is decided by Soma and his preference. And so, all the competitors had one question on their mind.

"Those eyeballs left a bad taste in my mouth and now I'm feeling a bit hungry again." Soma rubbed his stomach which then growled quietly.

"Hungry?" Erina and Megumi could not help but smile. Rindou's entrance brought despair but her exit brought hope and a second chance for the remaining two competitors.

 **Status of the Shokugeki**

Ikumi Mito: Served dish while providing dreams of the faraway future  
Hisako Arato: Served dish with an aphrodisiac  
Alice Nakiri: Happily Dropped Out (Also would have been disqualified anyway)  
Soma Yukihira: Hungry  
Tadokoro Megumi: Relieved and scheming(?)  
Erina Nakiri: Panicking about her unique lamprey a la bordelaise  
Rindou Kobayashi: Quietly crying in the kitchen and finishing her plate, alone.


End file.
